SYMPTOM SUMMARYThe power door locks are all inoperative or a single door lock is inoperative.

USUAL CAUSEThe power door locks utilize individual solenoids in each of the doors that activate the door lock mechanism. The switch provides power to the door lock solenoids. To lock the doors the switch provides voltage to the two terminals of the solenoid. To unlock the doors the switch reverses the polarity of the voltage applied to the solenoid. An inoperative power door lock can be caused by the switch, solenoid, wiring problem or mechanical problem within the linkage of the affected door.

DIAGNOSISIf all of the door locks are inoperative, start your diagnosis at the fuse box. Inspect the fuse that protects the door lock circuit to ensure it is not blown. Consult the fuse box placard or your owners manual for fuse designations and ratings. Operate each door lock switch in the vehicle to determine if the doors can be locked with any of the switches. If the doors lock with any one switch the most likely problem is a defective switch on the door that is inoperative. If all of the door lock switches are functional but one door fails to operate, the most likely problem is an open circuit in the circuit between the switch and solenoid or a defective solenoid in the affected door. You should listen to the affected door while energizing the door lock. If a click is heard but the lock did not engage, a problem with the door lock mechanism or linkage is the most likely cause.

PRECAUTIONS, TIPS, and NOTESAn inspection of the rubber boot and wiring harness that connects from the door frame and the door can often reveal wiring damage. A volt meter, available at any auto parts store, can be used to check the voltage to the individual lock solenoids and switches. Refer to the meters instruction for proper usage and precautions.

I have the same problem of my driver door not unlocking when its hot outside. It will unlock with the key, just not with the key fob or electric button on the inside. Did you get any ideas on what the problem could be.

Robert, the likely cause is that the plastic clip on the back of the lock cylinder is either broken or has otherwise become detached from the linkage that allows you to manually unlock the car with a key. It is also likely that there are other problems with the cylinder as it should not rotate 360 degrees you may want to consider replacing it or having a locksmith take a look and see if they can salvage the current lock.

Hi, I have a 2005 Nissan Sentra and the power locks aren’t working. Wen I go to push the button on driver and passenger door I hear a clicking sound but all 4 doors do not lock/unlock. What can I do to fix it… Pleas Help.

had the problem with door lock drivers side not working with remote dealer told me it as the acuator not working 2 or 3 hundred dollars repair.i shot in every door crannie with dust blaster and then wd 40 it so far has worked fine hope it keeps working chris

Hi Carl – I’m trying to help a friend diagnose door lock problems with his 2008 Chevy Malibu. The interesting aspect of his problem is that when he first gets into the car, he can actuate (open/close) all four door locks. If he tries doing it again, only three of the door locks actuate. If he tries it yet again, only two actuate. He gets to the point where only the right rear door lock functions. It’s also the case that each time he actuates the system, there is sound in the other lock solenoids, but it gets weaker with each actuation. If he turns the car off and then on again immediately, this situation persists (i.e. only the right rear door lock works). However, if he lets the car sit long enough (I’m not sure how long is long enough), the system seems to reset and the same pattern as described above reoccurs.

To me it sounds like whatever device (solid state relay in the body control module?) is supplying the current to actuate the solenoids is able to supply sufficient current the first time the system is actuated but then degrades with each subsequent actuation. Stated differently, I’m wondering if some device in the body control module is failing such that each actuation results in it having a reduced capacity to supply current. Have you ever heard of such a thing?

i have the exact same problem in my 08 malibu. After the the BCM recall issue for the brake lights this is happening more. The car has been in the dealership for over 3 weeks, and they are no help at all. I’m pretty sure the BCM or something on it is causing this. What did you find out???

Hi, simple problem. My power locks work but will not move to actually lock/unlock the doors. I can hear the locks working with both the remote and the door switches. The lock tabs will jerk but ultimately will not move to lock/unlock positions. This is happening on a 1999 Ford F150. What could be the likely solutuion?

more than likely the actuators are out, You-tube for a disassembly video on your truck. You can either rebuild the actuators by an extra 20 minute per unit, time investment, as the resistor goes bad, and that entails breaking open the little drive motor and wrapping resistor in foil and placing back, from the comments, ppl say this fix last for the life of the truck. You can You tube that actuator rebuild also, there’s some great stuff there which will help you way more than a black and white Haynes manual with poor grainy photos. That will save $35-40 per actuator or just you can buy new actuators online or via local parts store. I’ve had several fleet F250s with power locks and you can tell they are going out as they start to get weak. while you have your door apart, make sure you lubricate all plastic parts with silicone, all metal parts with a light grease or oil. The less resistance this whole assembly has the longer I believe it will last.

I have a 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan. Whether using the key remote, or the button inside the van, the 2 sliding doors may or may not lock/unlock. There’s no real rhyme or reason as to when they work. You can hear the sound, and sometimes see a slight movement, but they do not always lock or unlock.

If this is not something I can fix myself, do I take the vehicle to a mechanic or someone special? My vehicle was just gotten into last night (probably a crime of opportunity) and my GPS was stolen and I’m getting annoyed. Thanks!

My alarm goes off in my car no matter what i do. Even if the keys inn ignition and i do the least of just pressing the unlock button my security system goes off. I believe the problem is that one of my doors(rear passenger) doesn’t lock our unlock when i press the button. What do i do ? Its driving me mad.

I have a 2014 chevy impala. My issue is with the front passenger side door.

It will not lock/unlock if trying to use my fob. While all other doors have no problem with it. The door also does not respond to the power lock/unlock button on the inside, although all other doors again have no problem.

It will lock if I manually lock it with my key from the outside, or manually with the lock switch on the inside.

First I must ask why you wouldn’t take the car back to the dealer and make it their problem on such a new vehicle? The best way to diagnose and repair would be to first remove the right front inside door panel. Since it doesn’t respond to the key fob or the power lock switch the problem is in the lock solenoid or the wiring to the solenoid. I would guess on such a new vehicle the harness connector just came unplugged from the solenoid (or actuator). With a volt meter you should have 12 volts at 1 wire going into the solenoid and ground at the other wire. These 2 wires just reverse polarity when you attempt to reverse the direction of the locks, either lock or unlock. I you have 12 volts and a ground then the solenoid is defective.

Carl – Love your insight! I hope you can shed some light on this mystery…

2004 Honda Accord (4dr)

Symptom #1: – when locking/unlocking the car with key fob, key or inside driver door switch, the driver side door will lock/unlock. The other 3 doors remain unaffected. All three doors went out at the same moment.

Symptom #2: – After the driver side door is unlocked, within 1 min, the door will lock. This happens if the door is open, or closed, whether the car is running or not. This is not the standard Honda safety auto-locking feature.. this is a random locking within 1 min or less. I suspect that this started to occur at the same time as Symptom #1, though I didn’t notice it until I locked myself out of the car (while running) a week later.

The driver’s side on my 2004 Mazda3 is locked and cannot be unlocked with the remote or with the key. The key will not turn to the unlock position. This door also cannot be opened from the inside by manually toggling the unlock button or by activating the electric lock switch.

When the remote is activated, no sound is heard in the driver’s door. Both power door fuses test functional. All other doors unlock/lock as per normal from outside and inside.

hi i have a ford fiesta 1.3 2002 mk6 i have trouble code 1310 in the gem module i have used a scan to to manually operate the central locking and boot and individually tested each door and all seem to be working and also through my 3rd party alarm the central locking works but it will not work at all through the key interior latches and the boot relese in the dash will not work i have also tried a different module with the same fault
and using the built in test function nothing happens on any of the door latches cheers shane

Hello — my passenger side door unlocks manually with no problem, locks with the switch on the driver’s side door no problem. The driver’s side door used to open manually, but now I cannot get it to open using my key. It has never unlocked by using the power switch (I have to pull it up by hand), nor does it lock by using the power switch.

In order to lock ANY doors, I have always had to hold the driver’s side inside door handle out while pressing down on the power lock button on the driver’s side door.

As of late, the driver’s side door not only will not unlock by using my key, but now, when I go in from the passenger side and pull up on the button, as soon as I pull on the door handle, it automatically locks the driver’s side door. So… I discovered that I have to pull out the inside driver’s side door handle while pulling up on the lock button at the same time, then throw the door wide open and hope that it stays open.

Hi I have an 06 chevy cobalt, both buttons on the doors do not work but my remote will unlock and lock the car. My fuse looks fine so I’m not sure what it could be. Also as I’m driving, the doors will periodically lock and unlock for no reason. Any help?

Hello i have a 95 Nissan Sentra and I have been having problems with the doors locking and unlocking by itself. Im finally fed up with it today someone actually ransacked my car and left all the doors wide open although they did not take anything. I do not want my car to be missing one of these days. So to begin my window switches on both the passenger doors do not work. My main switch has been programmed to where I had to rewire the rear passenger button to be able to control my driver side window but the problem has been going on long before I had to do this. Thanks ahead of time.

Hi, I have a 2006 Crown Vic P71. All the door locks stopped working yesterday evening after working fine. All fuses are good, when you hit the lock/unlock button you hear the relays in the drivers door module clicking but none of the locks seem to get any power. Do you think something as went bad in that module?

I have a 2003 Nissan Micra 3dr (new shape) – since buying it this April I’ve had nothing but trouble withthe driver front door – sometimes I unlock the door and it doesn’t unlock properly, sometimes I lock it and it doesn’t lock – the passenger door and boot all lock fine. At the beginning, the central locking system was going AWOL and would click hen I turned a corner or something like that but since changing the battery in the remote this has not happened. I’ve taken it to a Nissan dealership and they said it was the door lock actuator as it still makes the locking noise but doesn’t lock. They wanted around £180 for the part and to fit it but couldn’t 100% guarantee that that would fix the problem. PLEASE HELP ME. If there is a chance that it could be done NOT by a mechanic then please let me know

I have a 2005 dodge caravan. Today when I drive to my destination I discovered none of my door locks would lock. Recently I had trouble getting the key fob to operate any of them, but now none of them will lock from the fob or the interior lock switch. My fuses tested OK. What could the problem be?

I have a 2004 Chevy Impala. All doors will open and lock from switch on drivers and passenger doors but only drivers door will lock and unlock from key in drivers door lock. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I have a 2004 ford expidition. I’ve checked fuse box and all is fine. None of the power door locks don’t wort. They don’t even make a noise. All included in this problem is the radio console lights don’t work either although the sound works just fine. Can this be fixed easily?

I have a 2005 Honda Civic EX. My door lock aren’t working properly. My door lock remote is fine as far as the battery goes. I changed out a door switch on the driver side which didn’t help either. This is a 4 dr sedan. I can hear all 3 doors clicking except the driver side front door. Does the front driver side door link to all the other doors? I figured that the door actuators only pertain to each door. Not sure what the issue is? I wouldn’t think it’s a fuse only because I can hear the 3 doors clicking. Now, again, the front driver side door I can’t hear any clicking. Can you tell me what my next step should be?

2006 Ford F150 4 door – My door locks function with the remote and interior lock buttons only when the drivers side door is closed. If the drivers door is open, the locks and window switches become inoperable with the switch, but the remote will still unlock/lock the doors. Any ideas?.

Hi, I have an unusual problem, I can unlock my doors only to have them lock up before I am at the car door.
I have even left my Fob inside my home to make sure I haven’t accidently set it off. Is it possible that something is interfering with the signals from Fob to the car? My car is a 2002 Honda Civic, I have researched this problem but have found nothing on the internet.

Iam out of town. A friend has a 2005 Dodge Neon. The electric door lock switch on the drivers door will lock the door. Problem she has is as follows: place key in drivers door, turn key and drivers door will not unlock. Have to crawl over back seat from the trunk to get in the car. Is there a lock rod that runs from the door key cylinder to an electric unlock switch?

The problem with my car is that when I turn it off the doors don’t unlock and it used to do that now it doesn’t do that anymore. I have a Hyundai Tiburon 2001 and my car supposedly has electrical problems so will checking the operations manual online do the job? Because I don’t have the operations manual in my car when I bought it used.

I have a 1986 Chevy Silverado K10 with auto door locks. It has an aftermarket alarm which activates the door locks with the remote keyless entry. The door locks began not opening – - keyless entry will disarm but the door locks don’t open; I have to lock/unlock the door with the key. My friend, who owns the company that installed the alarm system, took a look at it and says it is in the truck, not the alarm system or alarm wiring.

This was intermittent a couple of times – took it to him twice and the locks mysteriously started working again. I went to start it today and the battery was dead. When I hook a battery booster to it, the locks pulse every 30 seconds or so like they are trying to unlock, but they don’t unlock. I assume this is what killed the battery.

I disconnected the battery and have it on a trickle charger. Any ideas where to start looking when the battery is charged?

I have an 2008 Malibu the driver side window will not go up. the rest of the window in the car are working. The locks in my car use to go up and down by itself.I replace the drivers side switch. but that don’t seem to be the problem. what do you think the problem could be?

i have a 96 corolla and my car alarm system is an aftermarket and now it goes faulty. the doors are opening itself, i mean the latches go up by themselves. if i lock them using the key, they will go up again and then down. if i unlock them, hey still try to go up because my lights are flashing.

Hi. I have a 1985 Mercury Grand Marquis. This question refers to the power locks. When I hit the lock button the back two doors lock but the front doors does not. It makes a noise but does not lock. Can you help me…Thanks!

Howdy,
I have a ’92 Nissan Pathfinder and it’s been at the shop for 2 months now, off and on. When I first took it there all locks worked properly but one window wouldn’t operate by itself; had to operate it from master switch on driver’s side. I’ve spent quite a bit so far; to no avail; Corporate Nissan says it’s too old or try another dealer; I don’t buy that. Please help this 79yr old Great Grandpa/DAV/US Army/7yrs/’50s. Nissan has all the parts because I inquired at that office and they emailed me a list of any parts, etc I might require to solve the issues. Many thanks and God Bless. Pennington/GA/(478)968-5904. Please call me!!

Hi. I have a 2013 Hyundai Tucson and have a problem with the cargo door. It has stayed lock for a little while now and only the key fob can unlock it. When the car is on or when the key is in and I open the driver’s side door, it will make the unlock sound (3x) but will not actually unlock. I have taken it to the dealership as it is under warranty. They told me that there’s a failure with the door lock assembly. I would just like to know your professional insight on this issue and how this can be fixed. They are taking a long time to address my warranty claim and I am just patiently (almost losing it) waiting. Thank you so much for your help.

My 2008 Impala has door lock problems. All Doors will lock but only the driver door will unlock. I can hear the relay down in the passenger floor board clicking but the door locks will not move. All three doors went out at the same time.

Hi, I need some direction, please. I have a 2001 Toyota Avalon XLS. I’m also having door lock problems. I can lock and unlock the doors with the remote but not with the key.
I can put the key into all 3 locks -the lock of the driver side, the passenger door lock and the trunk lock, fully. It will not turn at all in either the driver or trunk lock. In the passenger lock it turns to the right which is the lock position. Is this an electrical problem or what should I be looking for? Please advise. I have the fear that I will not be able to get in one day. Thanks for your help.

I have a 2012 Nissan Versa. The drivers side door will unlock and open from the outside. But the inside the car the drivers side door shows the door is unlocked but the door will not open. Even though the lock shows it is unlocked, the door is still locked.

My 2002 pontiac montana has automatic door locks however it has malfunction o left the key in by mistake one day and it locked its self i found out it is not suspose to do that is there any way to diable that

Honda Accord 2004. When I use my fob to lock my Honda the driver’s side door lock doesn’t lock. If I lock the doors manually from the inside the driver’s side door doesn’t lock. If I lock the doors manually, from the outside by inserting my key into the keyhole all my doors will lock. If I try to open the doors with my fob at this point, the doors do not respond. Then I manually open the doors by inserting the key into the keyhole and turning it to the right, the driver’s side door will open, but not any of the others. It takes another key turn to the right or the fob to unlock the other three doors. Up until four weeks ago, everything was working. Is it possible that the car’s locking sequence or program was changed accidentally or is my locking mechanism broken?

I have a 04 dodge durango the problem I am having is that nothing electrical is working unless the key is in the on position ie (interior lights,door locks,and even headlights) I just purchased this vehicle and want to know what might be going on

i have a 2003 ford taurus power locks and alarm system..first thing i noted was alarm has a mind of its on and goes of when ever it wants to, so we would re shut all the doors,,sometimes it worked, than lately notices the door open light goes on from time to time when all the doors are locked,, than the top light in the car wasnt shutting off then the car alarm was going off tonight,, and the door lights(side mirror) lights were not going off, my hubby had to do something to the battery to cut the power, help please

Hi Allison, it sounds like it might be one of the door switches isn’t making a full circuit properly. If one of the door switches doesn’t work properly the alarm still thinks one of the doors is open. Likewise if a door switch is faulty because the circuit believes the door is open the light will remain on until the switch is sorted out.

I have a Mk 1(99)Focus, hatchback. The central locking locks/unlocks all the doors from my alarm system, but if I try to lock/unlock all doors from the drivers side it only locks/unlocks the driver door. If I use the key in the passenger side it will lock/unlock all doors properly. I also find that when using the alarm system to lock/unlock the car the doors automatically lock within seconds of unlocking. However, this only occurs in colder weather.

Note: The battery is fine and so is fuse(63) I also cant see any obvious cuts in the door wires.

Hi I have Ford Escape 2002 today I went to start my car I am currently not driving it as need fix but can start it to charge Battery. As I knew it was flat as I jump started it with my drive door open and then I sat in there for while to charge it up. Once I got out of the car some how I couldn’t shut my driver door as it was on lock mode. Why is that and how can I fix it that I shut my door again. I had to tarp my car over cos I couldn’t shut my car door. And we have bad rain here thx

I recently purchased a 2013 dodge grand caravan two months ago, my key fob has 6 buttons on it, but with my model van there’s 3 that i can use, which are the “panic”, unlock and lock buttons. Roughly a week ago, the lock button stopped working, but the panic button and unlock button still works, and i went to buy a replacement battery, but the same thing remain. i don’t know what is wrong, and i didn’t want to pay $89 for a Dodge car dealer to diagnose the problem if it’s minor. Help me please. Thanks

I have a 08 Chevy Cobalt. When I push either the drivers door or pass door power door lock switch to lock the car it unlocks all the doors. When I push it to lock them nothing happens. I replaced the drivers door switch and nothing changed. Very frustrating.

I have a 2004 Mazda 3 , and my switch will not activate the door locks at all , I also noticed that my door ajar light stays on even with all the doors closed properly. I suspect that because I had my light kit wired to the fuse that controlled the door locks , my door locks are acting funny but I’ve disconnected it and let it do it’s thing and the problem still remains , any idea what the problem is or where I should take it ? Any help would be greatly appreciated

I have a door lock/unlock problem in my NIssan Altima 2.5S 2003. It happened yesterday. My remote lock/unlock is stopped working long time back. So, all these days I have been using the key to lock and unlock the car. But suddenly, from yesterday I am not even lock/unlock my card door from the driver side. Where to fix this issue?. I live in Brea, CA area. Any closest service center I can approach in this area?. How much it would cost to fix this issue?.

2005 dodge caravan. remote button on key fob used to lock and unlock three doors and the back gate, one side slider had to be done manually, and it seemed a bit stiff. one day the other three doors stopped working all at the same time. they won’t respond to the remote button or the switches on the doors. I have to work them manually now.

the back gate still works by the remote button. is there a separate fuse for the front four doors?

how can I tell if I need to replace the solenoids or the switches for each door?

none of the switch buttons on the doors will work the locks, I have to manually pull up and down on each door lock.

I have a 2003 Ford Explorer & The interior lock switch on the drivers door works when it wants to. I thought it was the switch so I replaced it. No change……
Don’t know where to go next. The lock will work with the remote & the passenger door lock but, does not always work with the interior drivers door lock. When, it doesn’t work I don’t hear a click. Any suggestions?????

I have a 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee. When locking my car, all of the doors lock accept for the trunk and the glass window as well. A click is heard by no lock is engaged. I do not know where to begin to get it fixed. The key fob broke so I use the lock button on the drivers side door yet the trunk just wont lock. suggestions???

Hi, just bought 2 1998 honda civics, 1 ex, 1 lx. Both have the exact same problem. 1 rear door lock doesn’t work on both, same door and both have fuel gauges not working correctly and eratically. Since both have the exact 2 same issues can they be related?

I have Honda accord 2004 i-vtec 2.4 petrol 4 door saloon , the door lock driver side (left hand drive) is not working all the others are , no sound or click when I push it, it give no response to the remote key, if It has to be replaced what part number please
Thanks